The present invention relates in general to devices for holding, transporting, dispensing and winding material such as wire or sheet material and, in particular, to a system for dispensing electrical wire and pulling the wire through conduit.
The difficulties of pulling wire through conduit, such as during the construction of buildings are well known in the prior art. Typically, the wires must be lubricated or special insulation is provided on the wire which allows it to slide easily through an electrical junction box which is attached to an end of the conduit. Numerous devices for dispensing wire wound on spools are known in the prior art, but have the drawback that the spools are held on a common shaft and therefore, replacing one of the spools requires disassembly of the device and the removal of at least some of the spools. Electrical wire, as well as other coiled materials, also come packaged in cardboard containers in which the wire is withdrawn from the center of the container. A drawback in the prior art is that kinks can occur in the wire as it is withdrawn from the cardboard container which then prevent the wire from passing through conduit. In the case of the spools being on a common shaft, the wire can slip off the side of the spool and become wrapped around the shaft, thereby also preventing the pulling of the wire through the conduit.
Many other devices are known which provide for material in the form of such as sheet goods, such as plastic, to be dispensed from a spool as well as devices which provide for winding the sheet material onto a spool. Typically, these devices require that a shaft extend through the spool. This again requires that the device be at least partially dismantled when interchanging the spools.
The present invention overcomes these drawbacks in the prior art and provides for controlled payout or wind up of material on a spool, as well as easy interchangeability of the spools without disassembly of the device.